iTunes Connect Maintenance on Wednesday Following App Store Problems

You may have noticed that both the Mac and iOS App Stores were having some issues beginning early Tuesday evening, with spotty connectivity that seemed to come and go. The issue has continued overnight, and now Apple has emailed developers to notify them of downtime with iTunes Connect.MacRumors is reporting that Apple will be performing maintenance on the iTunes Connect portal, which is how Mac and iOS developers upload their finished work for sale on the iOS and Mac App Stores. The maintenance comes on the heels of some “intermittent connectivity problems” that began early Tuesday evening and continued overnight.

“iTunes Connect will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, July 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. PDT,” reads an email to developers signed by The App Store Team. “During this time, iTunes Connect will still be available. However, pricing changes made between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. PDT will cause the app to become unavailable for purchase until maintenance is complete, at which point the app will become available at the new price. To avoid interruptions to the availability of your apps, do not make price changes during this time.

“Lastly, customers may not be able to purchase apps in the Mexico, U.K., Australia, Switzerland, Japan or Norway storefronts during the scheduled maintenance,” the email concludes.

As noted by MacRumors, it’s not clear if this maintenance is related to the earlier downtime, “but it seems likely given the short notice.” With Apple expected to release OS X Lion via the Mac App Store any day now, the maintenance is likely preparation for a lot of eager Mac users hammering the App Store at once to download what is claimed to be a 4GB+ installer file.

In any event, users should expect some flakiness with the App Stores on Wednesday until 4pm PST.